To the Editor:
As the world passes into a new century humanity is faced with a much larger choice than war or peace, we are faced with the question of existence or non-existence. There is more at stake here than is being addressed by the administration or the media.
This is the position humanity finds itself in, we can either choose to stop the violence and hatred and begin to create the kind of society that is within our ability, or we can choose to continue the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, of which our country holds the lions share. The more weapons that the US has and uses will force others to aim to obtain these exact weapons.
Our government has stated that they will allow for the military to use short range, small blast nuclear weapons as a part of a regular battle strategy. It does not seem that any rational person would want a world where nuclear weapons are used (let alone an option), yet it is our country that is quickly making that situation a reality. The use of nuclear weapons cannot be taken back, and the world made note in 1945 of who used them. This is not a choice to be taken lightly, the consequences of a wrong choice could mean the destruction of the world as we know it.
For any empire to believe that it is indestructible is foolish and short sighted. The Greeks believed their army was stronger than any opposition, Rome had similar views of its society, the British, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Dutch all thought that their rule would reign supreme indefinitely. These empires all experienced blowback from their efforts to dominate the world.
Many Americans underestimate the significance of the US “going it alone.” It is a generally accepted fact that the US is the world’s sole superpower. Take a moment to think about the monumental significance of the world’s military superpower rebuffing the majority if the international community, deciding that it alone decides when and where to wage war, replace leaders, and decide who will live and die. It’s no wonder that the US had attempted to undermine the International Criminal court, openly citing fear of prosecution of US forces involved in international interventionism. Do we want to live in a world dominated by fear and a global military presence or respected international law, democracy, and freedom for all?
This is not simply an issue of the here and now, it is the central problem of humanity. There are differences between people, but the similarities that unite us are at the very core of what it means to be human. We all have the ability to love or hate, be compassionate or violent. Do we choose to live in solidarity and peace, or fear and war?
Peace, Emmett Kearney ’03 Ed Feldheim ’03
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